The Story Of Joey LeBeau
by Jay08
Summary: A suicidal mercenary ghoul with a unique defect that allows his body to rot at a slower rate than most other ghouls is offered a job to take a package across the Mojave in a certain Number of days. On the way he encounters moral delima's as well as the cold truth that he may not be much longer for this world. (First fic and its the first of four tales) M - Blood and Mature Themes.
1. Chapter 1- Joey LeBeau

October 5th 2281- The Atomic Wrangler.

The sour taste of the whiskey burnt my mouth the same way it had the yesterday and the day before and the day before that. I was never sure if it was the radiation, the booze or the fact I was just having a really bad day. Moriarty may have been an asshole but at least he had good booze. Then again Freeside was basically the Mojave equivalent to Megaton as far as I was concerned. Now that I think about it this guy was looking at me the same way Moriarty used to stare at me whenever I asked Gob to join me for a drink. The environment was much the same as well, with some small differences. Here everyone was too busy trying to win rigged games to notice the severe lack of whores for a brothel. Sure Moriarty only had one whore, but that was still one more than this place had. The dirty glasses were cleaner than the old assholes were so that was at least an upside. It was also nice to see that they compensated for the rigged games and lack of women with a comedian. Granted he wasn't my kind of Joker, but in his dirty white suit he fit in with the place very nicely. Good Ole Hadrian.

"Gentlemen and La-…..Well who we kidding the only lady here is behind the bar, and unfortunately she don't do over time!" Hadrian remarked waiting for the comedic drumbeat that would often follow a joke.

Not a chuckle in the house. Course when your rambling to drunken idiots who can't get into the strip because they hit someone, slept with someone's wife, don't have the caps or all of the above (and that happens more often than I care to talk about). Still, if this was the Muddy Rudder than Hadrian would have a lot more material but a lot less fingers. But hey, he's a ghoul they were going to fall off one day eventually. I snickered to myself at the thought of Hadrian doing a show and his fingers falling off as he pointed at his latest victim.

"Wow Rough Crowd. You sir! The rather dandy looking Gentlemen at the back" He said into his microphone.

Oh I swear Hadrian if you're talking to me, then I am not going to be held responsible for what happens to your face. Caleb can kick me out if he damn well pleases. Lucky night for Hadrian, it was some newcomer who clearly had hit rock bottom recently and scampered to the Wrangler with his tale between his legs looking for that golden ticked back into the strip. Big Deal! I was on the strip once and I didn't s. Nothing to brag about, put enough lights on a sign and you got the same thing in its most prime form. I was so deep in thought I actually missed Hadrian's bad joke, this booze may not be that bad after all. I should cut Hadrian some slack I know, but in my kind of business you give what ya get. And Brother I can't remember the last time I got some slack. Becky never gave me any slack, then again what do you expect from 'Sgt Havon'. The thought of her brought back too many memories, most of them bad and some of them worse. Mind you she was her hottest when she was in that uniform, happy or not. She wasn't the worst of the three but still became a pain in the ass after that promotion. Wonder what she's doing now? There ya go again Joe, thinking of the past. I was having such a good time too. Typical Becky, always spoiling my good time.

"You want another one?" The bartender asked glaring at the empty glass in front of me like I was Mean SonOfabitch with an arm in my mouth.

He was always checking on me like I was some kind of child. His sister on the other hand at least had the decency to have addressed me by my name. Or at least what my name I was using as of late. Let me explain, most around these parts would call me a mercenary, others would call me an animal, I always preferred the term Jack of All trades. In my time I have done a bit of everything and travelled a lot as a result of my work. Until five years ago never stayed in the one place that long. Can ya blame me? Considering the variety of life out there and the fact that almost 80% of its out to kill me I'm surprised I made it this far. As of the last five years I have kind of settled down in Freeside, though this is only a temporary situation.

"Get out of Freeside ya fucking Zombie!" I heard one of the Audience members shout.

Typical. I can't complain about how the booze sucks, or the clear lack of poon or Caleb has the "right" to kick my ass to the curb and rough me up a little. Then you either wake up with a dog chewing your leg and your pockets emptied or your pockets emptied and some drunk giving you a shower. Colin would never have let that happen to someone, he just let us pass out where we landed. If we started trouble send Jericho in to beat the crap out of you and then drag you to the pool of water that surrounded the bomb to give you a drink. You got one more drink and a lesson. But god forbid the talent here get the same treatment as the bottles of pre-war fucking booze. A new bottle of Whiskey was put in front of me by the grimacing barman. Reaching into my dusters pocket I grabbed what I had left from my last job. Francine's brother tapped the bars counter impatiently, eyes glued to my face, as he waited for me to count my caps. He would be happy as a mole rat in shit if I didn't have the ten caps the whiskey cost. God, this guy needed to get laid.

"HEY ZOMBIE! I'm talking to you!" I heard him shout again as I tried to count my caps.

Caleb was really taking his time getting rid of this asshole tonight. I then felt a hand gripping the collar of my duster and pulled me back towards him. My caps scattered across the bar as I was dragged to the ground by the drunken man. Quickly, I removed my duster and let the man trip back into the tables.

-The Names Le Beau, Joey LeBeau. And I'm a Ghoul-

He got up in a drunken sway and charged towards me. I just wanted my duster and my drink, why did he have to start a fight. I moved swiftly causing him to ram his head into the bar. Lifting the whiskey bottle up over my head I smashed it down on his head. A woman gasped and a silence fell over the bar that was more painful than the silence after one of Hadrian's bad jokes. I lifted the man up to his feet and slapped him like the bitch he was to wake him up.

"The Term is Ghoul! Got that Smoothskin?" my teeth barred at the man as I pushed the broken bottle neck close to his neck with the intention of making sure he never called a ghoul a zombie again.

"Now what did you want to say to me?" I asked staring into the man's eyes.

"Joey! .Down!" Francine shouted as she appeared from the doorway and seeing me with a broken bottle neck in one hand and a bleeding man in against the bar.

I grunted at Francine, then looked around the bar and saw that everyone was watching me. I dropped the sack of shit and the bottle neck and looked around. Putting a cigarette in my mouth and slowly lighting it, I saw Caleb draw his weapon and smile at me as he glared. Fucker must be hard just thinking about blowing my head off. I held the smoke between my lips as I pulled my duster on and straightened my hat. The bar returned to its common noises

"This ain't a place for Trouble. Damn it Caleb this is what we pay you for!" Francine barked in that authoritive tone she used on the bar staff.

"I was about to blow this fuckers head off" he said smiling down the barrel at me.

"Well put the gun down! Joe you know what this means! Don't you?" Francine said as I took a deep breath and a long drag on the smoke.

"Yeah Yeah I know! Banned for a month. I'll see myself out. See ya in a month Hadrian." I said exhaling the smoke and waving to the comic.

And that would be the last time I would ever leave the Atomic Wrangler and see any of these faces again. Good Riddance.


	2. Chapter 2- A job and A package

I leaned against the bus outside of the old Mormon fort as the night beamed down on me. I wasn't even drunk enough to think it was wonderful. Stupid drunk. Ruined my good time. I suppose I should explain about myself further. I am a ghoul but a rare kind apparently. At least I was in my youth. Well…close enough to Youth as I can recall. There's only so much you can remember in your time as a ghoul and I myself can't remember anything before the war. Funny old world ain't it? For All I know I could have been President of the country before the bombs dropped and I wouldn't know. See I have two memories that I will always keep, one will haunt me to my dying day and the other will remind me what I am. But see the one that haunts me ain't that vivid. I only see a something like a cloud rising from the ground and then blank for a while. Then around 2164 I get in an accident and taken to the nearest medic by a caravaner I knew. Back then I always wore bandages because...Well I actually don't remember why I wore bandages at this moment but I had my whole body covered. And I know what you're thinking and the answer is yes. Even there. So when I finally woke up I was in a bed, in a hospital I think they said it was, and who was standing over me but my first wife Alice. My god she was a looker, and so was I for a ghoul apparently. Alice was a member of the Followers of The Apocalypse and said I was the first ghoul to show a mutation-stunt. Let me tell ya straight I didn't know what she was talking about, what a Follower was, or who I was? What I did know was that the blue of Alice's eyes shun the brightest I'd ever seen that day or ever will. She may have been older than the rest of them but she had the spirit of a woman half her age. Anyways, back then you could see I wasn't your average ghoul, yeah I was "rotting" I think was the term some assholes used, but I was doing it at a slower rate than most other ghouls. I looked like someone who had seen a lot of battles in my life but didn't for the moment look like a ghoul. Me and Alice kind of hit it off after that hell we even got married a few days after we met. She had to move on though, and I had to leave for a job in Kansas City. I met a follower in Kansas City a few days after I arrived. They told me Alice had been caught by Slavers and was most likely dead. That was the first and last time I can remember that I cried.

Flicking the almost finished cigarette away I started walking around the fort to see if RotFace was around, he always had some information I could use to get a job. What some people don't seem to notice about this little slice of shit pie, is that the beggar's aren't all deaf and that information you say around them can be used by gentlemen such as myself.

"Reach for the sky" a voice barked from behind me.

I knew it was only a matter of time before some asshole thought he could take me. I slowly raised one hand in the air as I reached for the holster of my Gun. Swinging around and pulling my gun out of the holster I aimed it directly behind me, ready to fire and fill the motherfucker full of lead. The thug that held me up was the child I had come to know as Max and his little….thing that he called a gun. Were it not for my hesitation Max would have a few extra holes in his skull.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! You're dead!" He said smiling at me the way he did when he had "killed".

I rubbed his head in a teasing manner and smiled at the small wastelander. I watched as he ran off after his little girlfriend claiming to have killed a zombie. I could have shot the little brat for that comment. Of all the things in this world I can't stand being called a Zombie is first on my list. I felt myself grip the handle of my revolver and lifting it up in the direction Max was running. A hand rested on my shoulder and I heard another familiar voice.

"Put it down Joey." The ghoulish voice said as he took my arm and lowered it.

"Grecks…." I said with a hint of anger as I holstered my gun. Not towards Grecks but towards Max.

Out of all the ghouls in the wastes I have encountered, I think Grecks has it the worst off. I mean I was so lucky to get 10 years of some form of normality before I started rotting away, but Grecks had none of that. Hell being a ghoul is bad, but being a ghoul and looking like Grecks has got to be some form of torture. Grecks was one of the few people in Freeside you could depend on outside the Followers. He didn't ask for much and people expected less off of him as a result. A good friend to have when half to someone who does any job for the right price.

"Thanks Grecks" I said as I slumped to the ground and put another cigarette in my mouth.

I patted my body in the manner Simon did to the customers of the silver rush looking for my lighter. Pulling it out of my pocket and flicking it open, I put my thumb on the grinder and pushed it down. The flame danced out of the head of the lighter and lit my cigarette. I was sure I was about to kill that kid. What on earth was going through my head? I took a deep drag of the cig and felt better within a minute.

"Much better." I said looking up at Grecks deformed face.

"You gotta quit those things ya know? They aint good for your health." Grecks said smiling at me.

"You're a funny bastard when you want to be ya know. Maybe replace Hadrian" I said smirking at Grecks.

"Oh yeah Mom always said I had a face for the stage." He said as we burst into laughter.

"You know the Followers can give ya plenty work if you need it." He said as the laughter passed us by like so many

"So Julie keeps saying. But I got a tonne of depth to pay and Stimpacks and Med-X doesn't really get me enough to stay alive and pay off these assholes ya know? At least I can say I'm not on some of that shit that Dixons handing out.….." I said staring at Dixon as he walked towards us.

"Speak of the devil" Grecks said as I stood back up.

My knees ached as I put all my weight on them, but it was better to stare Dixon in the face rather than let the fucker kick you while you were down.

"If it aint the Mercenary with the big mouth? I suppose your still looking for work around Freeside? Ya know…I can give you something to take the edge off if you need it?" He said trying to peddle his shit to me.

"That what they say about me now?" I asked biting down on the cigarette rubbing the handle of my pistol.

"What do you want Dixon? Joey aint in the mood for you!" Grecks stated as he helped me up straight. Then Grecks backed away with a single dirty look from Dixon.

"Look buddy I-"

"I am not your pal Dixon. I'm not your friend, Partner, guy, amigo and I certainly am NOT your fucking buddy! Now what do you want from me Dixon?" I interrupted taking a step towards Dixon.

"Listen Zombie. I am offering you some prime chems. Forget about what ya look like. At the mere coast of some protection." He said looking directly at Grecks.

I have no idea what happened next because I was so angry at Dixon for insulting my friend, but what I do know is that when I came to I was on top of Dixon snarling like a feral ghoul. RotFace and Grecks had pulled me off of him at the point where I was going in for the kill. I stopped just in time to avoid killing the bastard. But I am not sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing held my head and dropped my gun. Getting up slowly, I picked up my gun and people started to disperse and return to what they were doing but not without some hesitation. Some even looked back at me to see if I had gone feral. I picked up my hat and stared at it.

"I don't have much time left Grecks." I said with sorrow in my voice.

Every ghoul is different in the way they act and live their lives, but we each have a time limit on our humanities. We get older and older and rot and rot, and sooner or later we become the very thing that we are pictured as. Mindless Zombies. The lucky ones die before they get they live to see the signs that tell you that you're turning feral. Now after all this time, my numbers finally been called and I don't know what to do about it.

Grecks handed me a bottle of beer. Leaning against the wall he slumped down and sat next to me. Little rule among the ghouls of Freeside was that we all had to stick together, no matter what the reason. Word spread fast about my little outburst as it does in small communities like Freeside. Beatrix walked around the corner towards us and Hadrian came down from the Atomic Wrangler. Rotface was usually late for our little meetings, so none ever really expected for him to show up.

"So what are you going to do now?" Beatrix asked after taking a swig of her beer.

"Meaning?" I asked as I rubbed my chin.

"Nothing at all" Beatrix said avoiding looking at me.

"She means when are you going to leave? You know you can't stick around here now. Right?" Hadrian blurted out in his blunt fashion.

"For God's Sake! You don't have to be such an asshole about it Hadrian. We are not members of your Audience" Grecks barked at Hadrian.

I didn't pay any attention to the guys. I was lost in a world of depression. The thoughts of myself going feral made me sick to my stomach and brought thoughts of just walking off into the Mojave and let my instincts take over. Grecks nudged me and broke me out of my trance.

"What?" I said looking at my fellow ghouls.

"We asked you was there any way you ever wanted to go out?" Grecks asked as he drank his beer.

"Go out?" I asked looking at the guys.

"Oh for God…Taking your last bow? Hearing the fat lady sing? Having your bell rung? Cashing your check? Any of these ringing any bells?" Hadrian blurted.

"Oh…I guess I always thought I'd go out in a blaze of fire. Like fighting my way out of the impossible. But…hehehe…looks like that aint gonna happen." He smiled as he saw his comrade's talking to each other.

"Beatrix has something to say." Grecks said looking towards Beatrix.

"Go on." I said lighting another cigarette and putting it in my mouth.

"Well today I was approached by some guy in a suit. Offered me a job with a hell of a payoff." Beatrix explained to myself, Hadrian and Grecks.

"And what you took it?" Rotface asked showing up just in time to hear Beatrix.

"I'm getting to that" Beatrix said as I handed Rotface his beer, all of which were paid for with what little we all had. Rotface sent me a glance that said I'm sorry.

"So I turn him down because, well I need to head outside of Freeside and with all the shit happening out there I think I'd be safer here." Beatrix explained.

"Thing is he's spending the night at the Atomic Wrangler. And I was thinking maybe you should go see if the position is still open. Get out of Freeside for a while. Hell with the caps he's offering you could settle down for a while." Beatrix finished with a smug look forming across her cracked lips.

"That's the best idea I have ever heard!" Hadrian blurted out in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh wait…. Aren't you banned from the Wrangler for a month because you kicked the shit out of that guy who called you a Zombie?" Hadrian bluntly stated.

Silence drew over us as we all knew what was said and none felt more of the sting then I did. It's one problem to have Norms hate you. But when your own kind acts like an asshole when you need your friends the most. That is just despicable and Hadrian realised that.

"Look…Joseph I'm sorry. I can go talk to the guy if he's still there. Maybe he will meet you?" Hadrian said sounding genuinely remorseful about his words.

"I don't know." I said drinking the last of my beer.

"Come on man. Give it a shot" Grecks said.

"Fine." I said defeated by my friends.

"Tell him I'll meet him tomorrow at the abandoned building across the street from Mick and Ralphs at 4. I'm off to bed." I said to the guys as I got up, threw my smoke away and walked over to the nearest bench. Laying down on it, I hoped that I'd still be me in the morning.

**October 6****th**** 2281 outside Mick and Ralphs.**

I stood still and waited at 4pm for Beatrix's mysterious stranger. While waiting I saw something out of the usual walking towards the exit of Freeside. At first I thought it was someone running from the Strip, but when I got a better look at the guy I saw he was different to the usual troublemakers. This guy had no sense of style. I thought to myself as I drew my attention to my cigarettes. Who the hell wears a checked suit anyways? Looks ridiculous.

"Crap" I said to myself as I peered into the nicotine smelling pre-war box.

"Only four left" I said and taking one out I lit it and leaned against the shops wall.

"Don't got the caps for any more. Guess I'm going to go easy on them." I said to myself as I drew on the slender cigarette.

At 4:30 a man in a rather clean and expensive suit approached me. He was your typical pampered smoothskin, no mutations visible and no signs of having to fight for your life. He was about my height, if not a little shorter, and looked like he washed almost every hour. His hair was a dark brown and was slicked back with some kind of gel. He wore sunglasses that were so dark they eclipsed the man's eyes.

"Are you a mister…..LeBeau?" He said in a thick accent indicating he was clearly from somewhere near Kansas City or if not he was there long enough to get the accent.

"And what if I am?" I responded not sure if this guy was legit.

"I am Mr Aviary Fisk. I am pleased to meet you" He said taking a little bow in front of me.

"Interesting name for a ghoul? I was expecting….well clearly I wasn't expecting a ghoul of all things to have such an interesting name." He said with a faint laugh.

I am usually a good judge on character when I meet people. Having lived as long as I have you learn to pick things up about people by watching the way they move and talk to you. This guy was clearly a jackass who had Daddy issues and didn't know when to shut up. He tried to hide all his insecurities with an expensive suit and nice haircut. Man this kid needed an ass kicking.

"You know it's French for the Beautiful? Why in heavens did you pick that name?" He asked and watched me curiously as I leaned in.

"Because I got a pretty smile." I grunted with annoyance and leaned back to my previous stature.

"I see…. Well sir I am here to offer you a onetime offer-"he said only to be up interrupted by my own comment.

"If it's one time than why did you offer Beatrix before me?" I interrupted with a smartass grin.

"That was yesterday sir and I am on a schedule. Now may I continue?" He responded sharply at me.

"Hurry it up!" I said smiling and blowing smoke towards him.

"Charming." He responded sarcastically.

"I need a package delivered to a buyer in at the Mojave drive in. However, to get this package you must also deliver this letter-" He stopped to pull a small envelope out of his pocket and handing me the small letter he continued.

"- to a man outside of Westside and he will give you the location of the Package." He finished as I looked at the letter back and front.

"No name…" I groaned under my breath.

"What was that sir?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"There's no name on it. How do I know who to talk to?" I asked as I slid my finger under the mouth of the envelope.

"Stop right there! Do not! I repeat for your zombie ears! . .LETTER" He said with a fierce look of danger on his face. Like a nightstalker I had just slapped and proceeded to pisss on his dinner.

I stared back at him with anger. Not only was he calling me stupid but he called me the one thing I could never fucking forgive. He called me a zombie. I breathed heavily and was prepared to rip this clean shits head off and forget he was ever here. Hell people die out in Freeside almost every three days. His grip tightened around my arm. I think we are due a new fucking corpse. I let out a snarl and pulled my arm free of his grip. Shock covered his face that slowly converged into a fiendish smile.

"Sir I apologise for the Zombie remark, it was uncalled for." He said smiling and presented a palm to shake my hand.

"Won't you shake a pour sinner's hand?" He asked in a manner that showed me I couldn't trust him.

It made me sick to my stomach, but to be honest the thought of being shot in Freeside scarred me more than a Deathclaw Alpha who's caught me shooting his bitch. I could have almost vomited when I took his hand and shook it, and finally let go. He then took out a handkerchief and proceeded to clean his hand. 'Well this guy was a Grade 'A' Asshole' I thought to myself.

"So back to business. Once you deliver that envelope go straight to where Mr Wilson Jones tells you or have him escort you if it's nearby. No dilly dallying. And then you escort the Package to the Location." He said throwing the small piece of cloth to one side.

"And my payment?" I asked with the envelope still in my hand.

"Oh yes! Five thousand caps. Plus interest for how quickly you finish the job and the quality of the package." He explained to me.

"So sir if all goes well a simple courier job could get you something in the line of….Nine thousand caps." He said with a devilish grin on his face.

I thought this over for a second. I needed that money to get out of Freeside and somewhere where I could just relax and live the remainder of my days in peace. If Tenpenny towers let in ghouls and wasn't full of them now, I'd be there in a heartbeat. He removed his sunglasses to reveal his snake like eyes.

"Anything else I should know about this deal?" I asked ready to accept the offer, but not wanting him to think I needed it.

"Yes. You can't back out of this contract at any point once you accept it. Should you say run away with the package or decide that you can find a better offer than mine I assure you there will be trouble." He said as he took a step towards me.

"What Kind of trouble could you cause me?" I asked defiantly him, realising he was threatening me.

"Oh my dear boy. I am referring to the ghouls you associate with and some of the members of the community of Freeside. My boy-"

"I have none you can blackmail me with Shithead!" I barked at him starting to feel my trigger finger itch.

"AND I wasn't finished. I am not some ordinary business man Mr Lebeau, far from it I am a powerful business man that can have you killed with a glance. Now do you accept my terms or will you walk away and return to the gutter?!" He asked staring at me with his dark eyes.

We stood silently just glaring at each other for what felt like hours. I hated this man. Perhaps more than any other employer I had ever had in my lifetime, but that didn't change the fact that I wanted that money.

"I'll do the fucking job then."

"Excellent! You have 12 days to get to the Mojave Drive-in. An associate of mine will be waiting every day from 2pm to 7 pm for your arrival. He has also been informed to pay you an extra 1000 if you arrive early and the package is in good condition. However if you arrive on the 13th day or 9 pm on the 12th day He will assume you are up to something and shoot on sight. So try not to take you time. Good evening." He said smiling as I felt my stomach tighten and twist realising what I had just agreed to.

He slowly walked off leaving me with regret at what I had just become a part of. I lit another cigarette and put it in my mouth without looking at the pack. I grumbled realising now I had only 3 cigarettes left in my pack. I made a mental note to buy smokes first when I get paid.

**Outside of Westside 6:30pm 11 ½ days left.**

Walking around Westside was more dangerous than walking around Freeside as it is almost the opposite of Freeside. While Freeside is overflowing with people offering Security or protection Westside's residents were offered a knife to the gut or a bullet to the head by the Raiders who occupied much of it. Only the brave or the depraved took up shop here and I didn't associate with either of those kind of people. I approached a man who was in typical wastelander gear. My hand rested on my pistol in case I was mistaken or this got ugly.

"Are you Wilson Jones?" I asked him gripping my gun.

"Yeah that's me….Why? He asked eyeing me. Watching my movement.

"Fisk Sent me. Where's his package?" I asked him cautiously.

"Close by Follow me…." He said turning around and walking away from me.

I followed with great caution. I knew that on deals with a lot of caps involved there was always those involved that got greedy. People who thought their troubles were more important than that of the people their working with. They never even realise that if they are killed than I am the one getting their cut.

We continued to walk in silence as we came up to one of those sewer pipes you see draining into a trench. I would be lying if I said I knew what was going on as he climbed into the trench and started messing with the grate. Then something poured out and fell into a puddle of irradiated water. I was in shock at the black skinned creature with red hair.

"The hell is that!?" I shouted quickly unholstering my gun and aiming.

" Hehe relax ugly. She's human." He chuckled as he began rubbing what I then realised was sewage off of the girl's body.

"And the package" He said smiling at me.

What the fuck have I gotten myself in to? Was I working for a slaver? Was I working for a fucking a guy who got his jolly's off fucking dead girls? She didn't look over 17 and I was starting to regret my decision more and more with each passing hour.


	3. Chapter 3- Blazing Campfire

**North of Westside, The Trench 7:10pm 11 days 4 hours and 50 minutes left to complete delivery.**

With a heavy cough she sprung to life in the slavers arms. Looking up at Mr Jones she quickly pushed away and scurried across the trench like a Radroach. He began to laugh as he got up from the ground and walked towards me. I noticed she was now covering her nudity with her hands, which proved to be a futile effort on her part. She was staring at both me and Mr Jones, and I stood there wondering what made this girl so special? Jones saw that I was looking at the girl and scoffed at me.

"Like em young?" He asked me as I snapped out of my daze due to something being attached to me.

My attention quickly returned to that of Mr Jones, who had just clamped something onto my arm. It was a steel cuff with a small screen and even smaller speaker on the front, accompanied by small dials and buttons. It tightened around my wrist faster than you could say "Brahmin Betsy buys the Best buttermilk pastry".

"The hell is this?" I inquired about the uncomfortable wrist accessary.

"It's like one of them pip-boys, but it's much better." He said smiling as I grabbed his collar, pulling him close to me.

" What does it do!?" I said slowly through gritted teeth.

"Whoa there Boy! Calm down! It's like a radio, or walkie talkie combined with a tracking device and Map. So you don't…ya know… skip town on the deal." He calmly explained to me as I glared at him.

I looked over at the girl to see her shivering from the cold. She noticed me and started staring back at me as I held his collar. I let go of his collar and began walking towards her. She quickly backed further away from me.

"Careful now. She's a fighter." He stated as he extended his hand to me.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the envelope. He smiled at the sight of the stained piece of paper and snatched it from my hand. He then reached into his own pocket and handed me a small black box with a speaker on the front and an antenna attached to its top.

"The hell is that?" I asked as he handed me the small item.

"Like I said she's a fighter. She doesn't go easily, so we got some tech guy to wire up her collar to blow if she gets too far from ya." He said smiling making hand motions of a head exploding.

Feeling lower than the piece of shit that I was dealing with, I let Jones walk away and advanced towards the woman. As I got closer I came to realise that she was a young woman and had to be somewhere in her mid to late teens. She continued to back away from me as I stepped closer. You could swear she had never seen a ghoul before. Looking up to the sky's I sighed as one thought repeated over and over in my head:

"_Please forgive me_"

I looked over at the girl and pulled out my gun. I really couldn't have hated myself more unless I had a legion uniform on. I aimed the gun at her and saw her eyes widen in fear.

"You afraid of me child?" I asked keeping eye contact with her.

Her dirty face scowled at me and shook her head in disagreement. She was still trying to show some modesty and cover herself up but unfortunately for her I wasn't blind. I shook my gun up and down to indicate to her that she had to get up off the ground. Little thing didn't say a word. All she did was nod and stare at me. Holstering my weapon, I looked at the dirty face that was hidden behind the dirty red hair. She was a pretty little thing. She shivered while still keeping her distance from me.

"How long has she been in there?" I asked watching her shiver.

"Two days I think?" Mr Jones said as looked at me with confusion.

The little thing was shivering. Jones was right, this girl was a fighter. But I needed her to be in good condition, if I wanted that bonus.

"Come here." I said to her flexing my index finger to signal I wanted her closer.

She timidly walked over to me in response to my call. Removing my duster I handed it to her. I wouldn't let her or any other woman for that fact, be seen naked for every Yahoo and Rad scorpion we passed. The smile she presented me with said thank you. I hadn't seen someone smile like that in such a long time.

"Good. Now put it on." I said to her smiling as she wrapped the oversized duster around her slender body.

Wilson seemed amused at my chivalric act, as he began to laugh slightly.

"You can't treat a slave with respect! She's gotta be taught you're the boss! Ya gotta smack that little bitch about a little." He shouted at me in a mocking tone.

I didn't have time to respond because Just as his laughter had ceased to chuckles, I was thrust forward on top of the young girl by a form of explosion coming from behind me.

"SONOFABITCH!" I shouted as I rolled over off the girl and unholstering my gun, I aimed in the direction of the explosion.

To my surprise nobody was there. There was nothing but blood splattered across the sand and body parts spread out around the area. I rose cautiously from the ground, peering around to make sure I hadn't missed anything. I looked over near the girl and saw she was wrapping my duster around her body tightly. In my youth, I loved this kind of moment. The moment when you waited for your opponent to come out of hiding to face you in a final showdown. But, I wasn't a young man anymore. I was an old mercenary with a gun and a naked girl. This was a fucking raider's wet dream. I realised after some time that not even legionaries had this type of patience.

"_So what blew Jones up_?" I wondered as I removed my hat and scratched my head.

"You okay kid?" I asked her turning around to meet her gaze. She nodded confirming she was fine.

"Come on. We are burning light here." I said putting my hat back on and walking towards the setting sun.

I could hear her footsteps come running from behind me as I gained some distance. My smile faded as I remembered that this little one was going to be the slave of some freak and there was nothing I could do about it. Then I realised why my pay was so great. The legion don't like competition, the NCR hate slavers, I am traveling with a kid who has an exploding Neck-tie, and the only places where there are neither Legion or NCR were populated by Deathclaws or Cazadors.

"Shit!" I shouted. I heard a frightened murmur behind me and looked back towards the scared red head.

I couldn't leave her like this, she would be some raiders drugged out slut for the rest of her life if she was lucky. Realising I should probably sleep on any decision, I decided to get to the nearest shelter where I could get some privacy. And I knew the right place for that. I quickened my pace, realising that we might not be the only people interested in the Farmstead.

**Horowitz farmstead 8:48pm 11 days 3 hours and 12 minutes left to complete delivery.**

As we approached Horowitz farm I noticed that there were in fact people there. Of course there would be some sons of bitch's there when I needed it the most. Putting my bag down, I pulled out my binoculars and looked at who was currently occupying its walls. I signalled the girl to get low, so as to not bring our position to the attention of the current residents.

"Well shit!" I whispered as I saw that current occupants were members of the Viper Gang and they had people to play with.

"Tough shit for them." I whispered as my binoculars were snatched from my hands by the young red head.

As she stared through my binoculars, I wondered how did the vipers make it this far up the Mojave? The viper gang's base was situated at the ass ends of nowhere south from here. I hadn't heard anything about raiders shooting vipers or NCR spotting a viper gang moving in the area. The young girl lowered the binoculars in shock at what she had seen. She saw exactly the same thing I had, only she showed far more concern for the poor bastards than I had. She looked at me with shock and fear to which I brushed off as her having an easy life up to now.

"Yeah. Here, we wait here until they go to bed. Then we strike!" I said silently and checked my cigarettes. Still had four left. I smiled and put them back in my pocket.

I looked at her and she gave me this little puppy look that my second wife gave me. It was the kind you knew you would regret seeing because it had full control over your heart and soul. Damn, for a girl this young she had already mastered the basics. I didn't know whether to feel pity or admiration for someone like that.

"Let me guess. You want us to save those poor bastards?" I asked her in a sigh.

She nodded eagerly, still holding onto the face. God damn it. I thought I swore a long time ago that women weren't gonna dictate my life anymore.

"FINE!" I barked at her and received a smile.

"You know. I don't know how you do it, but you're probably the chattiest fucking mute I have ever met." I grumbled as she and I slowly crept towards the barn.

She gave a silent snigger at my comment as she followed me slowly and cautiously. Peering out from behind a truck, I could barely see what they had in terms of weaponry but saw that there was three of them in the barn. I smiled and checked my sequoia's cylinder and saw it was all full. I only needed three to kill these sick bastards. The couple's voice shrieked loudly in pain as I heard laughter and cheers from the vipers.

I looked at the young girl and slowly said "Don't move. Wait here."

She nodded agreeing with the decision to leave her hidden. Taking out some med-x from my bag, I injected myself with the chem numbing any pain in case I got shot. I crept slowly to the entrance and saw that they were playing with the corpse of the male hostage. If I wasn't as experienced with sicko's like this I would be sick at what those twisted fucks were doing. One of them was cutting up the woman's dress as she cried and begged him to stop. I couldn't help but think of Alice and the possibility she was treated like this before they killed her. Rage consumed my mind and I unintentionally let out a feral snarl.

"Shit!" I said as I quickly gained all the attention I could ask for.

I aimed my sequoia quickly before they could unholster their own weapons. I was forced to fire randomly as the element of surprise was ruined by my own anger. Luck however, was on my side as I hit one of the bastards out of three bullets I fired. It was better hitting one of them, than missing the three of them. Ducking inside I dashed as quickly as I could towards the next gang member. He fired his weapon in fear, clearly afraid of the thing approaching him. Coming within range I grabbed the arm that held his pistol and squeezed tightly. His screams echoed through the barn as he stared into my eyes.

"NOW! MAN SHOOT EM NOW!" He announced in pain as I realised his friend was behind me.

I don't know if the guy was a bad shot or that he was just too fucking high to aim, but he manage to hit me three times in non-vital areas. I kept a firm grip on the man's arm despite now having bullets in both shoulders and my left arm. I quickly holstered my gun, twisted around him and pulled back his other arm. I was now in control of his pistol hand and was using the man as a human shield. I looked towards my attacker and saw that he was using the constrained woman as a shield now. A knife to her neck, his maleficent smile staring back at me.

"Come on man let me go…" my hostage whimpered as his friend pushed his combat knife against his victim's neck.

" Cut her Loose" I ordered the lunatic as I tightened my grip on his companion.

"Oh I got a compromise!" He said smiling at me.

"How's about I just cut her and you let me go" he grinned as he dug the knife into her neck.

"WHAT NO! DONT!" I shouted pushing my shield aside and ran towards the woman.

The gang member saw me moving towards him and ran out the side exit. I looked at the woman's dead body and her cold gaze. Placing my hand over her eyes I closed her lids and felt a cold steel pistol pushed against my head.

"You dead now fucker!" the gang member said, clearly pissed I tried to use him as a bullet sponge.

Looking up at him I saw the anger in the man's eyes and stood up slowly. The handle of my sequoia was hanging out of its holster and drew the attention of the gang member.

"Is that a sequoia? What are you supposed to be?" He said leaning in to grab the handle of my sequoia. This was a huge mistake on his part.

I grabbed his arm once more and twisted it causing the gun to fall from his hand. Pulling out my bowie knife I slit a nice large gash into his neck, watching as the life drained from his eyes. I released my grip of him and watched as his body slumped and fell to the ground. Laughter came from across the building from the doorway. The gang leader stood there with the little red head girl, knife trailing up her naked body.

"Man you got some freaky good taste!" He mocked as he licked his lips.

I cautiously stepped closer to him, not knowing how I was going to save the young red head. I stopped as I saw him press the knife hard against her skin drawing some blood. I snarled at him, but stood still under fear she would be gutted like a Brahmin.

"Oh yeah. That's it Cowboy. Stay right there. Now drop the gun." He said taking a step closer to me.

"You like this little bitch don't you?" He said laughing mockingly before licking her face.

He smiled at me and suddenly pain raced through my body. The med-x had worn off and at the worst time possible too. I sank down to one knee as pain consumed my body. He took this opportunity to ditch the girl and charge at his victim. Tackling me to the ground he began to punch me over and over. I was in too much pain to try to fight back. I groaned as I saw him lift his knife above his head, readying for his final blow.

"I'm gonna wreck that bitch of yours!" He said with a loud laugh.

His laugh was cut short as a bottle smashed against his head. He fell down on top of me unconscious, as I looked at my saviour. The red head stood over me with a look of remorse on her face, like she was sorry she had to knock out the man that was going to rape and kill her.

"Where the hell was this girl raised?" I thought as I rolled the viper off my body.

Slowly I got up from the ground and in groaned in pain as I looked at her scared and silent face.

"Good work kid" I said spitting blood on the unconscious man.

She nodded to me and handing me the remains of the bottle she backed away from me as if I was about to beat her for saving me. Sighing, I staggered over to the gang's supplies in search for something to use on my wounds. They had almost everything from flamer fuel to mines. Luckily I found some medical supplies, along with a rifle and some ammo injected some med-x into my body to numb the pain for the time being.

"Hey kid. Can ya come over here?" I asked her taking off my shirt.

Thinking I was about to force her into sex, she backed away from me. I decided to forget it and leave the slugs in my back. Stabbing a stimpack into my body, I groaned as I felt the wounds slowly close. After bandaging my upper body, I put my shirt back on and looked towards the woman I was sharing the barn with. Any other slave would take this opportunity to slit their escort's throat or take one of the guns that were laying around and use them.

"What made her so different from other slaves?" I asked myself as I looked over the Vipers supplies.

Noticing some old rope, I picked it up and walked over to the unconscious gang member where I tied his hands tightly together.

"Don't want you waking up and causing more trouble, do we?" I said in bitterness as I remembered what he had said to me.

I had to decide what to do with this bastard. Shooting him would be too easy, and I needed information off of him. After what he had done to his hostages and little red I was ready to peel the skin from his body while giving him just enough med-x to stay alive and watch me do it. But even that was too good for this asshole. I noticed two buckets in the corner of the barn. I walked over to the buckets and examined the contents. I saw that they were full of water. Luck seemed to be on my side tonight. I had something to fill my canteen and something she could wash with.

"Hey kid. Wanna wash some of that shit off?" I asked sarcastically as I picked up the bucket and walked towards her.

She stared at me with confusion. I assumed she didn't know what she was supposed to wash herself with. I sighed, not knowing whether she was stupid or naïve. I walked over to the corpse of one of then vipers and ripped some of his clothing off of his body. Handing the rags of fabric to her she lowered her head and handed me back my duster as she began to wash herself. I went outside of the barn and grabbed my bag. It was about time "I cleaned up". Leaving her with some clothes, and grabbing a shovel and a few cans of flamer fuel walked out to the back of the barn. Behind the large burnt barn I began digging the first of three holes.

**Horowitz farmstead 11:35pm 11 days 25 minutes left to complete delivery.**

"Are you waking up?" I asked the viper as he began to wake up.

The second he opened his eyes he began screaming and jutting around like a hog-tied mole rat. He then realised that what was holding him down was in fact the bodies of the other Viper members which stank of flamer fuel. I watched him squirm in fear at me as I ran my fingers through my grey hair. I bent down and lifted another canister up from the ground.

"What...*GACK*… they hell are…*Cough*…You doing?!" He screamed and coughed as I poured the contents of the last can of flamer fuel into the hole

Placing a cigarette in my mouth and taking off my duster I stared down into the hole. He continued to struggle, realising all too soon that he had his arms and legs tied together separately. Pulling a book of matches out of my pocket and lighting one, I gingerly moved it close to my face so I could light of my cigarette. The tip of the slender cigarette burned bright in the night and let off a soft orange glow that illuminated my face. I swished the lit match back and forth for a moment to quench the flame and then proceeded to throw the match away.

"What the hell are you doing!?" He barked as he struggled to get free.

"It's a nice night isn't it?" I asked rhetorically ignoring his question.

"What the fuck is that meant to mean?! Let me out of here Asshole!" He ordered me as if he was in charge.

I looked down at him in contempt as I sucked on the cigarette and exhaled smoke. He had stopped shouting and struggling long for us both to enter a complete conversation with silence. Sighing I looked up at the night, before finally returning my attention back on him.

"You know, back when the wastes were young we used to put people who attacked young girls to the cruellest kind of torture. Now though, hell you can't depend on anyone now." I spoke softly breaking the silence between us as ash dripped off my cigarette.

"Since we got some time to talk why don't I tell you what will happen to you if you don't cooperate with me. Or do you know already?" I asked looking at him eyes half closed.

He nervously gulped and nodded. Realising that he would not be able to escape me, he listened attentively. I nodded and dropped myself down into the hole. I walked around him, circling him like a Radscorpian circling a mole rat.

"See I could have put my magnum to your skull while you were out. Finish you off while you were out of it. Would have made my life so much easier, because I wouldn't have to break my back digging three holes." I said kicking dirt into the vipers face.

"Now. The question is…how did ya all get from down your end up here without getting your asses full of lead?" I asked taking a puff of my cigarette, making it last.

"Don't look so surprised. I know the viper's headquarters are way down the south of the Mojave. So how is it a bunch of scumbags like you and these guys got up here without getting spotted?" I asked leaning down close to his head.

"Are you asking for my help?" he asked a smile crossing his face.

"You know I can just find my own way around the Mojave right? I'm actually being merciful here. You can save your life here kid." I said to him with a look of pity.

"Yeah what happens if I break out of these ropes?" He said as he began to struggle again.

"Nothing besides a bullet in every soft spot on your body. And trust me, when the pain hits, you are gonna wish you were dead. That's to say unless I've killed you prior." I said dropping some ass on his face.

"How?" He asked in fear as he tried to test to see if I was telling the truth.

"I have been around a long time. Dealt with and joined a lot of sick people in my time. You pick up a few things. Now you gonna tell me about your route and let me finish my smoke or do I have to waste the rest of it by setting fire to you?" I asked losing my patience with this scumbag.

"Okay Okay! There's a map in this huge bag in the barn. The routes marked in red!" He shouted in fear at me.

"That's a good decision you made their son." I responded and began to climb out of the hole.

"HEY YOU SAID YOU WOULD LET ME GO IF I HELPED YOU!" he shouted at me in fear as I stood above the rest of the bodies.

"Yeah. See here's a lesson you should have already known. People lie. You tell someone you pissed off what they want to hear. There gonna kill you anyway." I said with an evil grin on my face.

"Comon man! Look I'm a sick man! I am all screwed up!" He shouted as he squirmed.

"You're a sick dog! You're a rabid beast!" I said aiming my gun to the man's head.

"Yes! I'm a sick dog! Show pity on a dog!" He begged me as I looked down.

"And what happens then?" I asked him knowing his answer before he opened his mouth.

"What…what do you mean? I'm all alone. What could I do?" He stuttered in fear as he looked up into the night sky at the orange glow.

"Alone?" I asked him as I removed the cigarette from my mouth.

"Yeah man! Comon I don't want to die alone!" He said trying to appeal to my sense of mercy.

"Oh you ain't alone. All your friends are in there with you." I said as I flicked my fading cigarette into the pit.

Turning around I began walking away from the hole. The hole erupted in flames and I heard the screams of the man as the pyre formed from the ground. I scowled as the screams echoed through the valley and the farm. I watched the fire engulf the bodies of the sick bastards that attacked us. Turning around I faced the little red headed girl. She was clean now, having used the rags and water I had given her. I also noticed that she had cut some of her hair in an awkward fashion. Her hair was now longer on one side than the other. She was wearing the clothes I set out for her and staring at me and the fire. Pushing past her I walked back into the barn.

**Horowitz farmstead 12.00am 11 days left to complete delivery.**

"Why did you do that?" She asked breaking her silence.

"Why do you think?!" I barked at her before turning to her with a shocked expression.

I looked at her in amazement. She could talk all this damn time and hadn't even tried to communicate with me. This was as hard for me to do as it was for her.

"So you're talking now?" I asked her smiling slightly gaining no such favour in return.

She stayed silent, just staring at me with a look of disappointment. Angered at her disappointment I walked over to a box of mines I had seen when I was patching myself up. Removing some of the mines I began planting them near the doorways. I did this as a form of alarm clock to wake me up if any raiders approached the barn door. I sighed and decided to answer the stupid question.

"I was solving a problem. Go to Sleep." I ordered as I sat down and leaned against the wall.

"Couldn't you have just killed him quickly? Like with your gun?" She asked a hint of fear in her voice.

"He deserved a more severe punishment. Men have the right to choose how they die. Dogs have men decide their deaths for them! I think it was a fitting death." I responded in a cold terrifying manner.

"Okay…" She said sceptically.

"What's your name?" She asked me as I tried to get some sleep.

"Its Joey LeBeau" I said in a tired irritated manner.

"My names Allie." She said before I cut her off again.

"Go TO Bed!"


End file.
